Kudos to Mayor Marilyn Strickland for signing the United States Conference of Mayors’ Civility Accord, and also to Tacoma City Council for passing a resolution on Feb. 22 endorsing it.
Strickland learned of the document while attending the recent national convention of the organization. It was written in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of a federal judge and five other people in Tucson last month, a violent spree that left U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.
There has been much rhetoric from liberal pundits on television, radio and in newspapers blaming conservative pundits for the tragedy, with the right lashing back with more angry bluster. However, it appears that the troubled young man who is accused of pulling the trigger was driven by deeply rooted psychological problems rather than any ideology.
The accord points out that regardless of the motives behind the carnage in Arizona, it happened in “an atmosphere in which public discourse is often confrontational and lacking in civility.”
It asks all Americans to commit to making this a more civil society, one in which people across the political spectrum can engage in intelligent debate without accusing those with whom they disagree of being traitors, or worse.
It states that mayors are the elected officials with closest connections to the people, and as such have a responsibility to restore civil discourse at the local level. It asks citizens to respect the right of all Americans to hold their opinions; to avoids speech meant to humiliate others or question their patriotism; to strive to understand differing perspectives; to choose words carefully; to speak the truth, without accusation and distortion; and to condemn violence, prejudice and incivility. It asks Americans to exhibit gratitude, humility, openness, passion for service, kindness, caring, faith, sense of duty and a commitment for doing what is right. We could not agree more.
Hostile rhetoric is not the sole domain of the right and the left feuding over health-care reform or foreign policy. City council meetings in Tacoma and surrounding cities sometimes get too heated when citizens testify on topics ranging from land-use regulations to the delivery of social services.
Uncivil discourse is no creation of our modern media era. It fueled the fires that led to secession and civil war in the early 1860s.
Some of our readers who are old enough, and have lived in Tacoma long enough, can remember the atmosphere of some 40 years ago, when our city had its north/south split that led to a recall effort that removed five council members from office. Lacking a quorum, city government was incapable of anything that required a vote of the council. The governor had to appoint people to fill the vacancies for the city to function.
We salute Tacoma for being one of seven cities in the state to take this stand. While Washington has its pockets of blue and red, all of us in the Evergreen State have something to gain from a climate of civility.
